Shore Regional Health tells Kent County commissioners it is expanding services, replacing MRI and targeting 2028 finish for Easton regional medical center

Shore Regional Health leaders told the Kent County Board of Commissioners that the system is investing in local services and building a Regional Medical Center in Easton that they expect to complete in late summer 2028.

Ken Quizelle, speaking for Shore Regional Health, said Maryland has signed an agreement with the federal government to extend its total-cost-of-care approach into the AHEAD model, a change intended to curb health-care cost growth, strengthen primary care and stabilize rural hospitals. "We signed that agreement on November 13," Quizelle said, adding the arrangement extends Maryland’s model through Dec. 31, 2035.

Why it matters: rural hospitals have closed nationwide over the past two decades, and state and federal policy choices affect whether local systems can remain open. Quizelle told commissioners the AHEAD model and pending federal allocations create an opportunity to invest in primary care, workforce and technology to serve the Midshore region.

Zach Royston, Shore’s vice president for rural health transformation and executive director for the Chestertown facility, told commissioners the Chestertown hospital will remain open and serve as the system’s northern anchor. "We are not closing the hospital in Chestertown," Royston said, responding to a common community question. He said the system handles roughly 72,000 emergency-department visits across five counties and about 11,000 visits in Chestertown alone.

Royston reviewed how the new Easton facility changes capacity and throughput: the project’s licensed capacity will be 147 beds in total, 12 additional medical-surgical beds and about 25 observation beds adjacent to the emergency department that are designed to reduce boarding in EDs. "These additional 29 beds are going to give us so much more flexibility," he said.

Local investments and community services were also highlighted. Royston said philanthropic support and the Chester River Hospital Foundation committed $1.2 million toward a $2.1 million MRI replacement, including a breast coil funded by a community group. He said the new MRI is more patient-centered and will allow some breast MRI work to be done in Kent County rather than requiring travel to Easton.

Royston credited foundation support for creating a dedicated ambulance in Chestertown that he said reduced interfacility transfer times from about eight hours to roughly 90 minutes. He also described the Shore Community Outreach Team — a nurse, social worker and community health workers with pharmacist backup — that conducts in-home visits and connects patients to telemedicine and community resources.

On workforce, commissioners heard that Shore recruited 21 providers systemwide in the most recent fiscal year and is partnering with Chesapeake College, Washington College and the University of Maryland School of Medicine to expand rural-track training. Quizelle and Royston said the Maryland Rural Scholars pipeline and other programs aim to create clinicians who commit to returning to the Eastern Shore.

What happens next: commissioners thanked the presenters and offered logistical support; presenters invited follow-up questions and said they will continue local outreach and recruitment.